Abstract

Young albino rabbits were administered 5, 10, 20, and 50 mg of sodium fluoride/kg body weight/day subcutaneously for 3.5 months. The control animals were given 1 mL of double distilled water/kg body weight/day. In the fluoridated rabbits, the myocardium showed cloudy swellings, sarcoplasmic vacuolization, and small hemorrhages followed by fibrous necrosis. The degenerative changes were most pronounced in animals treated with 50 mg of sodium fluoride/kg body weight/day. The myocardium exhibited fibrous necrosis, dissolution of nuclei, fibrillolysis, extensive vacuole formation and interstitial cells in the connective tissue. The degree of myocardial damage seemed to be directly proportional to the dosage of fluoride administered. In the control animals, the myocardium showed normal structure without any of the changes mentioned above.